The 10 Best Bikes From Marin

Marin has been making and selling bikes for more than 30 years. And while it’s recently been an under-the-radar brand, a slew of exciting new bike launches have lifted the brand’s profile. And across its line, from road to city to mountain bikes, you’ll find some exciting, cool, and attractive options.

A Brand Rooted in Mountain Biking’s History

The genesis of Marin is entwined with the early history of mountain biking. The company is named after, and headquartered near, Marin County, CA, the beautiful piece of earth that’s home to Mount Tamalpais, which is where competitive mountain biking was born. In 1986, Bob Buckley founded the Marin bicycle company in response to the growing off-road-cycling interest in Northern California. By 1988, Marin was staking its claim as an industry leader with mass production of its Marin Team Titanium, a revolutionary bike at the time that offered an affordable titanium frame that was widely available.

Marin’s product development continued during the early 90s when it produced its first hybrid and road bikes, and its first successful full-suspension mountain bikes. The most well known of the latter was the 1993 Marin Titanium FRS (an acronym for Front/Rear Suspension) that used a Manitou suspension fork as the bike’s seatstays.

As is often the case in competitive cycling, the gear professionals use influences what and how regular cyclists ride. This model worked in favor of Marin in 1993 when Jürgen Beneke, a then unknown German who had only been mountain biking for one year, rode a Marin Titanium FRS to win the inaugural UCI Downhill World Cup. This race-day success secured Marin in the minds of many as a serious contributor to the development of mountain bike technology and culture.

Marin’s latest mountain bike innovation came in 2017 with the Wolf Ridge, a bike that featured Naild R3ACT – 2Play suspension. This latest version of the Wolf Ridge offers great pedaling efficiency and 160mm travel.

A Range of Options

But Marin’s products have expanded way beyond mountain bike. It produces some of our favorite city bikes (you have to check out the gorgeous Nicasio) as well as top gravel, adventure, and hybrid bikes. Marin bikes are unabashedly authentic and rooted in the Northern California culture. Whether you ride to shred or to chill, Marin has a bike that is ready to handle your needs. These are 10 of our favorites from the brand.

Muirwoods

Steel frame is perfect for city shredding Price: $770

Courtesy of Marin

Like a good friend, this steel-framed bike is ready to go through anything with you. Built with hydraulic disc brakes and 29-inch wheels, the Muirwoods is ready to stop and go wherever, whenever. A triple ring crank (48/36/26) and a 9-speed, 12-36t cassette gives riders options and helps make almost any climb manageable. Made for city riding, it comes with slick tires (with reflective accents) and a flat bar for more aggressive handling. The steel frame helps take the edge off potholes or when you come up short bunny-hopping a curb.

Alpine Trail 8

Aluminum, full-suspension downhill shreddingPrice: $3,700

Courtesy of Marin

The Alpine Trail is a new 29-inch model made for big downhill days. Featuring a Series 4 aluminum frame and SRAM NX Eagle 12-Speed drivetrain, this bike is ready for some cross country riding, but it's built for bigger, enduro-style descending. Marin’s MultiTrac rear suspension delivers 160mm of travel and it comes with a capable Fox 36 Performance fork up front. The Alpine Trail is a good option for someone looking to get into enduro riding with a well-rounded bike at an attainable price.

Hawk Hill 2

One of the best entry-level full-suspension bikes we’ve triedPrice: $1,950 Buy Now

Courtesy of Marin

The Hawk Hill 2 is, simply, the best budget full-suspension bike we’ve tried. Even at this relatively low price it has everything you need to take on the mountains. It comes with 27.5-inch wheels, 120mm of travel with Marin’s MultiTrac rear suspension, disc brakes (with 180mm/160mm rotors) and a dropper post. The quality suspension and solid parts will make you feel like you're riding a bike that costs hundreds more.

Hawk Hill Jr.

A near perfect bike to introduce kids to mountain bikingPrice: $1,600 Buy Here

Courtesy of Marin

As the name suggests, the Hawk Hill Jr. is a kids’ version of the above-mentioned Hawk Hill. It comes with 24-inch wheels, but it will also accept 26-inch wheels, so you can upsize when your kid hits a growth spurt (or two). You get the same suspension and a lot of the same quality parts as on the Hawk Hill, so your little ripper can keep up with (and probably pass) you on on the trail.

Gestalt 2

The Gestalt is a fun-riding, affordable, aluminum drop-bar bike that can handle dirt, gravel, or broken asphalt, and has the ability to ride smoothly on the road. The Gestalt 2 comes stock with 32mm tires that will allow for comfortable on-road riding and most off-road riding. However, if you’d like to travel less beaten paths, the Gestalt 2 has mechanical disc brakes and clearance for 35mm tires. Shimano Tiagra 10-speed components, along with a 50/34 FSA Gossamer crankset and an 11-34t cassette, offer plenty of range for fast or casual riding.

Nicasio RC

With 47mm-wide tires, eight maintenance-free internal gears, and a swept-back city handlebar, the Nicasio RC is equally at home on hilly urban streets as it is on gravel paths. Fenders and disc brakes make it rainy-day ready. And if you plan to go long, two sets of bottle bosses and mounts for both front and rear racks let you equip your new Marin with everything you need for all-day adventures. This bike is perfect for college students on a budget, commuters looking for something new, and greenway riders that like to show gravel some love. For these reasons (and its stunning good looks), this bike is a winner of a 2018 Bicycling Editors' Choice award.

Cortina AX2

Marin advertises the aluminum Cortina AX2 as a cyclocross, gravel, and commuter bike, making it a versatile option for riders who are looking for a bike that can be utilized in a range of situations. With a 38T FSA Gossamer Pro crankset, a SRAM Apex groupset, which includes an 11-speed, 10-42T cassette and hydraulic disc brakes, and 700x37c WTB tires, the Cortina AX2 is built to help you capably handle more than one type of riding.

Wolf Ridge Pro XX1

There is no mistaking the Marin Wolf Ridge Pro for any other bike. Its Naild R3ACT suspension is unlike anything else you'll see on the trail. The performance stands out too. This is one of the best-pedaling 160mm-travel bikes we've tried. This Pro model comes equipped with top-drawer parts, such as a Fox Performance Elite 36 fork, Float X2 factory shock, SRAM XX1 Eagle 1x12 drivetrain, Guide Ultimate brakes, e*thirteen TRS Race carbon wheels, and a KS Lev SIO 150mm dropper seatpost.

Fairfax 4

Flat bars for fast performancePrice: $1,100

Marin

The Fairfax is one of two models in Marin’s fitness bike line. Spec’d with 32mm tires and and hydraulic Shimano disc brakes, this bike is a solid commuter option for the cyclist looking to integrate more riding into her schedule, or the right bike for fitness-minded cyclists who want to go fast, but aren’t interested in drop bars. The Fairfax’s flat-bar build qualifies it for each of these purposes, and its Shimano Tiagra groupset, complete with a 48/32 FSA crank, and a 10-speed, 11-34t Shimano cassette provide great-performance for the price.

Four Corners

The Four Corners is a bikepackers dream. It comes with a burly steel frame designed for comfortable long rides, 42mm tires, up to 6 bottle cage mounts, fender and rack mounts on the frame and fork, mechanical disc brakes, and a reliable Shimano Sora 3x9 crankset (50/39/30) working with an 11-34t cassette. This bike has all of the necessary features to be your next camping mule, but, when you aren’t able to be off in the woods, it is equally well-suited for general fitness riding and commuting.

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